Day of the Dolphins at Carrier Dome for stunned SU hoopsters

Syracuse voters elected their first female mayor Tuesday night, but that wasn't the biggest story in the Salt City. Not by a long-shot. No, the most newsworthy story of the day was LeMoyne College's shocking 82-79 upset of SU in an exhibition basketball game.

Think U.S. hockey team vs. the mighty Soviets. Think tiny Chaminade vs. a University of Virginia basketball team that featured 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson. Think Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.

Yes, it was only a practice game, so to speak, and it won't count against SU when the NCAA tournament selection committee convenes in mid-March.

Still, you never expect a Division II team - even a good one - to knock off the nation's 25th-ranked Division I team.

SU guard Andy Rautins, who is from Syracuse, called the loss "embarrassing.''

In recent years, Division I programs have been allowed to play two preseason exhibitions against DII teams. As a favor to LeMoyne, which is located only a few miles from the SU campus, Jim Boeheim always schedules one of them against the Dolphins. These are supposed to be final tune-ups where the DI club barely breaks a sweat.

As stunning as this upset was, I wouldn't put too much stock into it. SU still is going to boast an NCAA-bound team this winter. But you can rest assured that this was a serious wake-up call - like an air horn going off in your ear at 3 in the morning.

Let's just say that practice today could be very interesting.

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Although I'm an SU alum, I'm happy for LeMoyne, and their coach Steve Evans. Like moi, he is a Rome, N.Y. native, so I always like to see fellow Romans succeed.

Steve's dad, Stan "Buddy'' Evans was a legendary high school hoops coach at Rome Free Academy and a superb junior varsity baseball coach. I learned more baseball from him in my one season of JV ball than I did in all my other years of playing the game combined. Buddy Evans wound up coaching junior varsity baseball with great success for nearly 40 years, which must be some kind of national record. I feel badly that he never got an opportunity to coach baseball at the varsity level. He truly was deserving.

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I said the Yankees in seven, so I'll stick with that prediction, but I won't be displeased if I'm off by one game.

Opining on the World Series, Urban Meyer and SU football

Man, if the Yankees blow this World Series after going up three-games-to-one, Joe Girardi’s decision to use each of his starters on just three days rest is going to be second-guessed from here to eternity.

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Barring a remarkable performance from one of his Philadelphia teammates or one of the Yankees, Chase Utley should win the MVP award hands-down, even if the Phillies don’t win the championship. Naming an MVP from a losing team wouldn’t be unprecedented. A lot of people erroneously think Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski won the award after beating the Bronx Bombers with his famous walk-off homer in Game 7 of the 1960 Fall Classic. But the award went to the second baseman from the other team – Bobby Richardson, whose body of work included 12 RBI, a Series record that still stands.

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I can’t decide which has been more painful to watch recently – Ryan Howard batting or the Bills offense. One more strike out, and Howard will establish a dubious Series record with 13 whiffs.

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Former Syracuse University wide receiver Mike Williams obviously is a troubled young man. The wide receiver with NFL talent was given a second chance this fall after a year hiatus from SU following a suspension for academic cheating. Instead of learning his lesson and being grateful for the new opportunity, Williams wound up being suspended for the Akron game two weeks ago after violating unspecified team rules, then he walked into coach Doug Marrone’s office Monday morning to tell him he was quitting the team. This was a young man who had the potential to be a high draft pick, but he cost himself hundreds of thousands of dollars by blowing his second chance. If he is drafted, it will be late because teams will be reluctant to risk a pick on a player with serious character flaws.

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Glad to see that Florida football coach Urban Meyer takes his role as builder-of-young-men so seriously. After learning that his linebacker and defensive captain Brandon Spikes attempted to gouge the eyes of a Georgia running back in last Saturday’s game, Meyer decided to suspend Spikes for the first half of this week’s game. Wow! That ought to teach Spikes a lesson and send a strong message to the rest of the team that such behavior won’t be tolerated in Gator land.

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Congrats to my long-suffering but loyal son, Chris, whose St. Louis Lambs snapped their winless streak by beating the Detroit Lions Sunday.

The Bills have become much too gracious hosts

ORCHARD PARK - I remember a time when the stadium formerly known as Rich was a House of Horrors for visiting teams. A time when this was one of the toughest places in the NFL.
But that seems like ancient history now. The Ralph has become a welcome wagon for visiting teams.

Sunday’s 31-10 victory by the Houston Texans marked the eighth time in the past nine games that the opposition has left town happy. In the last five home losses, the Bills have managed just one offensive touchdown, meaning the home team has not only been bad, but boring.

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There’s no way to sugar-coat this: The Bills offense continues to be putrid. A week after mustering just 167 yards, Buffalo racked up 204. They converted just 2-of-10 third downs and managed just 9 first downs, marking the first time since the 1971 season they’ve had consecutive games where they failed to reach double figures in that all-important category.

Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 117 yards and zero touchdowns and was picked off twice for a paltry 41.4 passer rating. The Bills rushed for 97 yards, and that figure was skewed as 29 of those yards came on Terrell Owens’ reverse for a touchdown. That run, by the way, was the longest play of the day for the Bills.

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It was another anemic day for T.O. and Lee Evans, the two combining for a whopping 7 receptions for 68 yards. Owens is on pace to catch 46 passes for 562 yards and 2 scores, while Evans is looking at 46 receptions for 662 yards and 6 touchdowns.

So, that’s 92 receptions for 1,224 yards and 9 TDs – combined. Contrast that with last year’s production when T.O. finished with 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 TDs for the Dallas Cowboys, and Evans had 63 receptions for 1,017 yards and 3 scores.

Viewed another way, they have been about half as productive as they were in 2008.

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The diamond amid the ashes continues to be Bills safety Jairus Byrd. The second-round pick out of Oregon picked off two more passes Sunday to become the first rookie and only the second player in NFL history to have multiple interceptions in three consecutive games. It’s been amazing to watch these past few weeks. He had two more picks bounce his way in the first quarter against the Texans. He’s like a magnet.

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The Bills worst-ranked run defense yielded 186 yards rushing against Houston, but that stat is misleading. One hundred and nineteen of those yards came in the second half after Buffalo’s “D’’ wore down. The fact the Bills offense can’t sustain a drive definitely has taking its toll on the defense.

Another reason to cut them some slack: With injuries to defensive end Aaron Schobel and linebacker Keith Ellison, Buffalo was forced to play most of the second half with seven reserves.

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Some people want to know if there will be a quarterback controversy at One Bills Drive following the bye week. My response: You need to have a quarterback in order to have a quarterback controversy.

I’m not trying to be a smart-aleck. I really don’t believe the Bills have a true starting quarterback on their roster.

When you compare the performances of Trent Edwards and Fitzpatrick, there really isn’t a lot to choose from. Their statistics are similarly mediocre and neither one makes me believe he has what it truly takes to be the Bills long-term answer at the position that has been a revolving door since Jim Kelly’s retirement following the 1996 season.

Edwards has completed 59.5 percent of his passes and has 5 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions to go with a 2-4 won-lost record. (It should be noted that Edwards received credit for the win against the Jets even though Fitzpatrick played three quarters of that game and staged the comeback.) Fitzpatrick has completed 51.4 percent of his passes and has 2 TD passes and 3 picks to go with a 1-1 record.

Put the two names in a hat, spin a bottle, flip a coin, play rock, paper, scissors. It doesn’t matter. They play like the same guy.

Jim Kelly tackles a number of topics, including the Bills future in Buffalo

Jim Kelly endured his share of sacks and criticism during his Hall-of-Fame career, so the last thing he wants to do is pile on a fellow member of the quarterback fraternity. But when asked to assess the state of the Bills, the man who set the standard for Buffalo QBs can’t help but start with the position he knows best.
“If you look at the solid teams around the league, you’ll see that they are really established at the quarterback position,’’ Kelly said. “We are still a question mark.’’
And have been for quite some time.
In the dozen-plus seasons since Jimbo’s retirement following the 1996 campaign, Buffalo’s quarterback situation has been about as stable as the Balloon Boy’s parents. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the 10th different player to start at the position, and you get the sense he won’t be the last as this never-ending search to find a worthy successor to the greatest field general in franchise history stumbles on.
So far, we’ve seen a steady stream of err apparents.
That said, Kelly isn’t necessarily ready to give up on Trent Edwards, the bruised and beleaguered Bills signalcaller who, at times, has resembled the bungling reincarnation of Rob Johnson, J.P. Losman and Todd Collins, among others.
"I’m really pulling for Trent because I know how hard he works and I believe he has the talent to get the job done,’’ Kelly said. “Yeah, he hasn’t been performing well, but when you have as many changes as the Bills have had on the offensive line, especially at the two tackle spots, it’s pretty rough on a quarterback.’’
It also didn’t help when the Bills attempted to force a no-huddle approach on Edwards and a woefully inexperienced offensive line that wasn’t ready to run it.
“The no-huddle takes a lot more quick thinking by everybody,’’ said Kelly, who ran that attack as well as anyone ever has while leading the high-octane Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s. “When you have linemen jump off-sides nine times (as Buffalo did during its 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 11) you realize it’s time to scrap it and start huddling-up again so everybody can get on the same page.’’
Kelly believes the Bills can still make something of this season. But, in order for that to happen, several players are going to have to ramp up their play, including their high-priced wideout Terrell Owens.
“T.O. has to step it up; he’s got to start catching the football,’’ Kelly said. “He’s dropped too many balls and that hasn’t helped. But you need to stick with him and keep throwing to him because he’s a guy who can get hot and carry a team. He’s done it before. He can do it again.’’
Kelly, of course, knows a thing or two about carrying a team. He led the Bills to a 109-66 record, eight playoff appearances and four AFC titles in 11 seasons. By contrast, the 10 QBs who have started since No. 12’s retirement have combined for a 90-109 mark and just two playoff berths. Yes, there have been some encouraging moments – most notably when Doug Flutie and Drew Bledsoe were behind center – but for the most part the search for a successor has been an exercise in futility.
Kelly was considered a franchise savior when he signed with the Bills after the USFL went belly-up in the summer of 1986. He brought instant credibility to a franchise that was coming off back-to-back 2-14 seasons and seemed in danger of leaving town because of fan apathy.

Interestingly, as Bills fans fret over the long-time future of the team in western New York, many are looking to Kelly again. The man who will turn 50 on Valentine’s Day said he has a group willing and able to buy the team. But, out of deference to owner Ralph Wilson, Kelly hasn’t pursued the matter.
“This is still Mr. Wilson’s team and I don’t think it’s right for me to press this,’’ he said. “I have the utmost respect for Mr. Wilson. God bless him for keeping the Bills here for 50 years when there’s no doubt he could have easily made more money by moving the team someplace else.’’
The angst felt by Bills fans has intensified in recent weeks with news that billionaire Ed Roski will finance the construction of a football stadium near Los Angeles and has identified seven NFL teams, including the Bills, he plans to contact about moving to the nation’s second largest city.

Despite the news, Kelly isn’t worried. His confidence is bolstered not only by the financial wherewithal of his potential ownership group, but also by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Kelly believes Goodell, who grew up near Jamestown, will not allow the Bills to leave western New York.
“I know people think otherwise, but Goodell does care about that stuff,’’ he said. “He’s not going to allow that to happen on his watch. He is a class act and I think he’s going to be around a long time as commissioner, and that’s good news for the Bills.’’
These days, Kelly keeps himself busy working for Hunter’s Hope, the foundation he and his wife, Jill, founded in memory of their late son, Hunter Kelly. Thanks to their lobbying efforts, several states, including New York, have vastly expanded their new-born disease screening programs. The Kellys’ efforts at early diagnoses has saved lives and improved the quality of life of many children.
“It’s tremendously rewarding to have parents come up to you and tell you that their child is alive because of what we’ve done,’’ Kelly said. “We have a lot of work still to do lobbying congressmen, legislators and assemblymen in getting all 50 states involved in these newborn screening programs. But we are making progress every day.’’
More than a dozen years removed from his last game, Kelly remains a man on the move. When he’s not working on the foundation, he can be found spending time with his wife and two daughters, appearing at autograph shows or making speaking engagements around the country.

In his spare time, he likes to hunt and fish. In recent months, he has hunted deer in Colorado and elk in Wyoming, and has gone deep sea fishing near Miami.
“I’m an outdoors freak,’’ he said, chuckling.
He’s also a Bills freak.
“I’m hoping at some point to become even more involved with the team,’’ he said. “I’m a Buffalo Bill through and through and I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed.’’